New cruiser... Questions about my reservation

[ummgood]

I am reserved on Voyager of the Seas leaving Galveston on the 28th of Nov 2010.

 

I am new to cruising and this will be my wife and my first trip on any cruise and are really looking forward to it. I have been perusing the forums now for a couple weeks and have some questions that I didn't seen answers to from my limited viewing. (I am guessing it has been posted before but I was unable to find the answers.)

 

About us we have 2 kids one 6yo and one just turned one this last month. We haven't had much alone time since having kids so we are going by ourselves on this cruise while the grandparents watch the kids. We are excited and nervous about leaving them for this long while we will be mostly 'out of touch' during the vacation. I'll be 35 and my wife will be 28 when we depart.

 

1. Can you reserve seating for shows or is it 1st come 1st serve? If not how early should we arrive for the ice show?

2. I am contemplating getting the soda cards for us. We don't drink alcohol so we won't be spending money on that. If we do decide to get the soda cards can I add them by calling RCCL or do I need to contact my TA and have them added? (Will this be available for me to do on the my cruises section of the RCCL web site?)

3. I added my reservation to the RCCL web site under myCruises. When can I start booking shore excursions or at least see what ones RCCL offers? I am scared to miss the ship so really want to book through them for excursions. I already booked Nachi Cocum for Cozumel. I am also stopping at Roatan and Belize.

4. My wife and I are pretty sensitive to cussing/nudity. Vegas definitely isn't the place for us. We went to a show there that was for 5 and over several years ago and the performers were wearing thongs and my wife and I were pretty upset by the whole thing (we thought it would be safe because of the age allowance). What shows should we stay away from on the ship? We could probably handle a couple of cuss words but if it is every other word then we'll probably not enjoy ourselves.

5. I have seen lots of suggestions on how to stay in contact with people back home. If an emergency happens and my parents try to contact us on the ship will the cost of that call get charged to a card, our home phone bill, or our ship account?

 

Thanks everyone!

 

I am sure I'll have more questions as the cruise gets closer and I try to plan more things.

[John Henry on CC]

I am reserved on Voyager of the Seas leaving Galveston on the 28th of Nov 2010.

 

I am new to cruising and this will be my wife and my first trip on any cruise and are really looking forward to it. I have been perusing the forums now for a couple weeks and have some questions that I didn't seen answers to from my limited viewing. (I am guessing it has been posted before but I was unable to find the answers.)

 

About us we have 2 kids one 6yo and one just turned one this last month. We haven't had much alone time since having kids so we are going by ourselves on this cruise while the grandparents watch the kids. We are excited and nervous about leaving them for this long while we will be mostly 'out of touch' during the vacation. I'll be 35 and my wife will be 28 when we depart.

Congratulations on carving out some times for yourselves! A cruise is a great way to unwind.

 

1. Can you reserve seating for shows or is it 1st come 1st serve? If not how early should we arrive for the ice show?

No reservations. For the ice show, the doors open 30 minutes before show time. That's when *I* like to get there, because the show is great from ANY seat, but extra great from the front row! I don't know if Voyager is a need-a-ticket ship or not - some ships have gotten away from tickets. Regular shows in the theatre are absolutely no-ticket and no-reservations.

2. I am contemplating getting the soda cards for us. We don't drink alcohol so we won't be spending money on that. If we do decide to get the soda cards can I add them by calling RCCL or do I need to contact my TA and have them added? (Will this be available for me to do on the my cruises section of the RCCL web site?)

Since you are using a TA, let him/her earn his/her fee. Let them take care of purchasing the soda package. Your credit card will be charged then, not later on the ship. you *can* do it yourself.

3. I added my reservation to the RCCL web site under myCruises. When can I start booking shore excursions or at least see what ones RCCL offers? I am scared to miss the ship so really want to book through them for excursions. I already booked Nachi Cocum for Cozumel. I am also stopping at Roatan and Belize.

Roughly three months out. Some open earlier, but about 3 months is average, I think. I no longer use ship's excursions. Go cave tubing with a private vendor in Belize. They are VERY experienced in getting cruise passengers back to the ship on time.

4. My wife and I are pretty sensitive to cussing/nudity. Vegas definitely isn't the place for us. We went to a show there that was for 5 and over several years ago and the performers were wearing thongs and my wife and I were pretty upset by the whole thing (we thought it would be safe because of the age allowance). What shows should we stay away from on the ship? We could probably handle a couple of cuss words but if it is every other word then we'll probably not enjoy ourselves.

The only possible conflict would be the late night comedian, although SOME of them are pretty tame. Just avoid that one show. If you also dislike sexual innuendo, stay away from the Love & Marriage Show. And don't go to Quest. ;)

5. I have seen lots of suggestions on how to stay in contact with people back home. If an emergency happens and my parents try to contact us on the ship will the cost of that call get charged to a card, our home phone bill, or our ship account?

If they call, they pay. Email is a great way to keep in touch. Internet is slow, and not cheap, but it's cheaper than phones! In port, your cell phone will work, but check with your particular carrier about the cost. Internet cafés in port can be a lot cheaper than the ship, too.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

I am sure I'll have more questions as the cruise gets closer and I try to plan more things.

 

You are welcome! And welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

:)

[Desert Cruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and congratulations on your 1st cruise. On our cruises we haven't gone to a show that we ever found distastefull. As mentioned maybe a late night comedian might tell a joke, but nothing we have felt was way out of line. The Quest show I would say you would not enjoy. You will not see any nudity on a cruise, and the Love & Marriage show questions may or may not bother you. You might try it but sit in the back and if you decide the questions asked to the couples isn't to your liking then you can leave. A fun show we enjoy is the amature night/afternoon where passengers show off their talent. ( Singing, playing an instrument).

Depending on how much soda you drink in a day, the soda card may or may not be worth it. Have a wonderfiul cruise and just enjoy each day/evening as it arrives & go with the flow. :)

[ummgood]

Congratulations on carving out some times for yourselves! A cruise is a great way to unwind.

 

No reservations. For the ice show, the doors open 30 minutes before show time. That's when *I* like to get there, because the show is great from ANY seat, but extra great from the front row! I don't know if Voyager is a need-a-ticket ship or not - some ships have gotten away from tickets.

Thanks when should I get there for front row? I wonder if someone else knows if this is a ticket item on the Voyager. It probably could change before my trip in November I guess. Is there someplace I could get a quick answer on the ship? Do the tickets have your assigned seat or are they just to let you in the door?

 

Since you are using a TA, let him/her earn his/her fee. Let them take care of purchasing the soda package. Your credit card will be charged then, not later on the ship. you *can* do it yourself.

 

It is a big company who doesn't have personalized TA's so it really isn't me helping someone out. I'll see if I can book through them. If not it won't be a biggie.

 

Go cave tubing with a private vendor in Belize. They are VERY experienced in getting cruise passengers back to the ship on time.

I really wanted to do this but my wife absolutely doesn't so I'll have to figure something else out for Belize. I was thinking a Ruin tour but have heard some close calls with the private vendors. I think I'll book that one through the ship. I don't want to stress the entire time if we'll make it back in time.

 

And don't go to Quest. ;)

 

Bummer. I have heard so much hype on this one that I wanted to see what it was about. Can someone explain to me what is the problem with Quest without ruining the secret?

 

You are welcome! And welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

:)

 

Thanks again for your response!

[ummgood]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and congratulations on your 1st cruise. On our cruises we haven't gone to a show that we ever found distastefull. As mentioned maybe a late night comedian might tell a joke, but nothing we have felt was way out of line. The Quest show I would say you would not enjoy. You will not see any nudity on a cruise, and the Love & Marriage show questions may or may not bother you. You might try it but sit in the back and if you decide the questions asked to the couples isn't to your liking then you can leave. A fun show we enjoy is the amature night/afternoon where passengers show off their talent. ( Singing, playing an instrument).

Depending on how much soda you drink in a day, the soda card may or may not be worth it. Have a wonderfiul cruise and just enjoy each day/evening as it arrives & go with the flow. :)

 

Thanks for the response! We can handle some stuff it is just when it gets over the top we can't handle it. For example we walked out of training day. I can handle a few cuss words in a movie but that one worked out to about one every 30 seconds if I recall.

 

I am sure we'll get our money's worth out of the soda card. I know I can drink at least 3 to 4 refills of diet coke at a meal and multiply that by 2 meals plus maybe a late night refill and I would get my money's worth. My wife will probably at least have one at each meal and maybe another one later so even if she doesn't get her money's worth out of her's I would just do it for the peace of mind. We'll be close on hers and I know I'll blow mine out of the park.

 

Now if they just had one for Mochas....

[TexasGal#35]

Sorry but I am not too good at the quote thing and have messed that up before so:

 

1. Definitely go to the ice show. It was really good on such a small ice rink. You will need to get your tickets in advance on the ship. There will be two shows on two designated days. Our show days were Monday and Wednesday. One of our group got to Studio B about 30 min. in advance and we were on the front row of the section facing the stage. The skaters literally threw ice on us and it seemed like they were going to skate into our laps.

 

2. You can buy your soda or your water card on the ship also. They had a table set up in front of the dining area and you got a free thermos when doing so. We drank the water from the faucet in our rooms and there are cokes in the mini-fridge that are $1.95 ea. My husband and I are not big soda drinkers.

 

3. Can't help on the Belize cruise. We are booked for March 2011 to go there. Our cruise this Feb. went to Grand Caymans/Jamaica/Cozumel. When you come back, you need to fill me in on what to do.

 

4. The Quest is never the same from what I've been told, but I could see how it could offend some people. I don't want to give anythng away, but they had people take their pants off, some took their bras off, a woman laid on top of a man, a man laid on top of a man and so on, but only if they wanted to. It was all part of the Quest.

 

5. I am by no means an expert. This was just our second cruise and our first on Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas. My cruise is just fresh in my memory because we just went Feb. 14-21. It was such a blast that we came home and booked another for next year.

 

Gloria

[ummgood]

Sorry but I am not too good at the quote thing and have messed that up before so:

 

1. Definitely go to the ice show. It was really good on such a small ice rink. You will need to get your tickets in advance on the ship. There will be two shows on two designated days. Our show days were Monday and Wednesday. One of our group got to Studio B about 30 min. in advance and we were on the front row of the section facing the stage. The skaters literally threw ice on us and it seemed like they were going to skate into our laps.

 

Thanks I'll definitely make sure to get tickets then. When do they announce the time/place to get the tickets? Is it in the compass?

 

2. You can buy your soda or your water card on the ship also. They had a table set up in front of the dining area and you got a free thermos when doing so. We drank the water from the faucet in our rooms and there are cokes in the mini-fridge that are $1.95 ea. My husband and I are not big soda drinkers.

 

Thanks I drink a lot of soda so I should be able to get my money's worth. I also drink a lot of water. I guess I just drink a lot!

 

3. Can't help on the Belize cruise. We are booked for March 2011 to go there. Our cruise this Feb. went to Grand Caymans/Jamaica/Cozumel. When you come back, you need to fill me in on what to do.

 

I'll try! No guarantees that I'll give sound advice though :)

 

4. The Quest is never the same from what I've been told, but I could see how it could offend some people. I don't want to give anythng away, but they had people take their pants off, some took their bras off, a woman laid on top of a man, a man laid on top of a man and so on, but only if they wanted to. It was all part of the Quest.

 

Thanks for that we'll probably skip it then. Bummer I have heard so many things about it.

 

5. I am by no means an expert. This was just our second cruise and our first on Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas. My cruise is just fresh in my memory because we just went Feb. 14-21. It was such a blast that we came home and booked another for next year.

 

Gloria

 

Thanks so much for your response. I am so excited and will probably have many more questions for you since you took the same ship recently. I live in Texas too and Galveston was the easiest port to get to without having to fly so we decided our cruise based on departures from that port.

[Desert Cruizers]

ummgood your welcome, I don't want to give the Quest game away either, and it can depend on the people themselves on the teams. I think I can say this much, your teams will be asked by the Cruise director to bring certain things up, nothing is allowed to be brought in ( scavenger hunt) type game. or show something. Thats as far as I will go. :).TexasGal we got mooned last cruise.

[PattyG12]

Welcome to CC ... If you drink more than 3 sodas per day, the card is the way to go. AND you have a nice souvenier cup to have your coffee in once you get home. Most of all, enjoy your cruise and be prepared to be hooked!!

[ummgood]

ummgood your welcome, I don't want to give the Quest game away either, and it can depend on the people themselves on the teams. I think I can say this much, your teams will be asked by the Cruise director to bring certain things up, nothing is allowed to be brought in ( scavenger hunt) type game. or show something. Thats as far as I will go. :).TexasGal we got mooned last cruise.

 

Thanks for the info :)

 

Welcome to CC ... If you drink more than 3 sodas per day, the card is the way to go. AND you have a nice souvenier cup to have your coffee in once you get home. Most of all, enjoy your cruise and be prepared to be hooked!!

 

My wife will like the cup for sure so it seems like an okay deal. I probably would end up buying her a coffee cup like the one I saw they give away and we will definitely drink enough soda to make up for the cost.